2018 Soling 1M Canadian National Championship

The Halifax Area Model Yacht Club is proud once again to be home to the 2018 Soling 1M Canadian National Championship.

Unfortunately, the regatta was shortened by a day due to forecast thunderstorms and a low water level in the pond. Our apologies to the competitors but we did manage to sail 20 full races on Saturday in anticipation of the weather front moving in.

Our full day of racing started promptly at 10 am under the direction of RD John Lowther assisted by Deb Gibson with scoring, Silvia Goddard with food and drink, and Bill Fioratas who helped with everything from setup to pulling us up over the wall when we had to go walking in the pond.

Winds were generally from the south all day but there were some dramatic shifts to be dealt with all afternoon. By the lunch break, we had sailed 11 races with 6 different winners and was not uncommon to win a race and then nail down a 5th or 6th in the next. The moderate but reliable breeze ensured that everyone was able to keep the boat moving so you had to on your toes all the time.

The lunch break was embraced by everyone, especially the EC12 sailors who were nursing some tired feet and legs after 24 races the previous two days.

Racing resumed under a bright sky and a freshening breeze and we completed 9 more races by the 3 pm deadline to make the desired 20 races our RD had set out. Jim Goddard won 5 races in the afternoon set to nail down the regatta win and Paul Switzer overcame a damaged rig that saw him out for two races to hold on to second. Don McDermaid from Nova Scotia made it on to the podium in third place, this is Don’s first hardware at the Soling 1M nationals – Congratulations.

Thanks for your support to our advertisers, Darren Fisher, MP and sponsors Councillors Sam Austin and Tony Mancini. Your assistance in bringing this event to Dartmouth is greatly appreciated.